Parking brake control system

Abstract

A brake control device prevents movement of a vehicle, when an unsafe condition exists, by automatically applying the parking or other brake. The brake control system may prevent movement should the unsafe condition exist within, on or around, a towed device such as a trailer, a trailer-house or other recreational or non-recreational equipment. The brake control system may set a brake or parking device on the towed device whenever the towed device is disconnected from the motorized vehicle, or whenever equipment on the towed vehicle is extending outward or is otherwise un-stowed in a position unsafe for traveling, whether or not the towed vehicle is connected to the towing vehicle. Interface connections from the towed device to the powered towing vehicle may include wireless, electrical wire, fiber optics, analog, digital, or others. The preferred brake control system separates the controller and electronic operator switch and light/indicia that are handled or viewed by the driver from the actuation system that applies or locks the brakes, to use space more efficiently and to improve braking response time. These signals, such as electronic/electric/optic/wireless signals, travel between the cab and the brake management equipment to apply and release the brakes, and may be much more compact and more easily routed or transmitted through a vehicle than conventional air/hydraulic lines.

We claim:  
     
       1. In a vehicle comprising a motorized vehicle with a driver's cab and a towed vehicle being pulled by the motorized vehicle and having a parking brake, a brake control system comprising a controller system and a management system, the controller system comprising: 
       sensors located on or near the vehicle comprising sensors that are located on the towed vehicle;  
       an electronic controller located in the driver's cab adapted to receive signals from a plurality of sensors that signal conditions unsafe for vehicle movement on or near the vehicle, the controller adapted to command the management system to apply the parking brake when one or more of said sensors signal unsafe conditions;  
       an electronic operator switch located in the vehicle cab and accessible to a driver of the vehicle, the operator switch having an apply-brake position and a release-brake position and operatively connected to the controller to communicate apply-brake and release-brake commands to the management system via the controller; and  
       the management system located in the towed vehicle comprising means for applying the parking brake in response to apply-brake signals from the controller and for releasing the parking brake in response to release-brake signals from the controller;  
       wherein said sensors on the towed vehicle signal the controller by means selected form the group consisting of electrical connections, electronic connections, data connections, fiber optics, wireless transmissions, and combinations thereof;  
       wherein the controller communicates with the management system by means selected from the group consisting of electrical connections, electronic connections, data connections, fiber optics, wireless transmissions, and combinations thereof;  
       wherein the motorized vehicle does not have a hand or foot operated parking brake handle in the cab that is mechanically linked to the parking brake.  
     
     
       2. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the parking brake is a spring-operated air parking brake and the management system comprises a solenoid air valve at or near wheels of the towed vehicle and air lines to and from the solenoid air valve that do not extend to the motorized vehicle. 
     
     
       3. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the parking brake is a hydraulic parking brake and the management system comprises a hydraulic cylinder at or near the towed vehicle wheels and hydraulic lines from the hydraulic cylinder that do not extend to the motorized vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The brake control system of  claim 2 , wherein said air lines are each less than 5 feet long. 
     
     
       5. The brake control system of  claim 3 , wherein said hydraulic lines are each less than 5 feet long. 
     
     
       6. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller system is adapted so that, when the parking brake has been applied by the management system due to the controller sending an apply-brake commend to the management system in response to unsafe signals from one or more sensors, the apply-brake command is overridden when the said operator switch is manually held in the release-brake position by the driver's hand while the vehicle is driven to safety. 
     
     
       7. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein said sensors on the towed vehicle signal the controller by wireless communication and the controller commands the management system by wireless communication so that the vehicle does not comprise a wired connection between the motorized vehicle and the towed vehicle for parking brake operation. 
     
     
       8. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises a validation circuit that validates each unsafe signal from the plurality of sensors by requiring that the unsafe signal continue uninterrupted for at least a minimum amount of time before the controller reacts to the validated signal to command the management system to apply the parking brake. 
     
     
       9. The brake control system of  claim 8 , where said minimum amount of time is in the range of 0.5 to 2 seconds. 
     
     
       10. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the operator switch is a push-button switch comprising two separate buttons that are an apply-brake button and a release-brake button. 
     
     
       11. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller system is adapted so that the driver moving the operator switch to the apply-brake position causes the controller to command the management system to apply the parking brake even if no unsafe signals are being sent to the controller from said sensors. 
     
     
       12. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller system is adapted so that the driver moving the operator switch to the release-brake position causes the controller to command the management system to release the parking brake only if no unsafe signals are being sent to the controller from said sensors. 
     
     
       13. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein, when unsafe signals to the controller cause the parking brake to be applied, the controller system is adapted to be overridden to release the parking brake by the driver continuously applying pressure on the operator switch in the release-brake position, so that the driver may drive the vehicle until the driver releases the pressure on the operator switch. 
     
     
       14. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein one of said sensors signaling the controller to apply the parking brake is a train transmitting a signal that is receivable by the controller when the vehicle is within less than 50 feet of the train. 
     
     
       15. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein one of said sensors signaling the controller is a train transmitting a signal that is receivable by the controller when the vehicle is within less than 10 feet of the train. 
     
     
       16. The brake control system of  claim 1 , wherein one of said sensors signaling the controller comprises a transmission system signaling the controller that the transmission is being put in a park condition, wherein the controller responds to the transmission system signal by commanding the management system to apply the parking brake. 
     
     
       17. The brake control system of  claim 16 , wherein the controller commands the management system to apply the brake in response to the transmission system signal and the management system applies the parking brake before a pawl of the transmission system moves into its park position in the transmission. 
     
     
       18. The brake control system of  claim 17 , wherein the parking brake is applied less within 1 second of the pawl moving into the park position.